Former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd), former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Fali H. Major (Retd) and former defence secretary NN Vohra were among the experts debating the theaterisation process.
In a demonstration of integration possibilities between Army & IAF, a Para commando, his colleagues & IAF pilots rescued 10 stranded cable car passengers in Himachal in 1992.
CDS Gen Bipin Rawat laid claims to superiority on behalf of the Army, because he believes it is ultimately all about control of territory. This mindset needs to be disparaged.
The Air Force, in theatre command set-up, must have an overriding lien over the resources that may be allocated to other theatres on as required basis.
CDS Gen Rawat labels IAF as supporting arm to ground forces — likening it to roles of artillery, engineers in Army. But ACM Bhadauria says air power has a huge role to play in battle areas.
The grave diggers of the theatre command system have won the current round and the political leadership has failed to discern the nature of the issues.
It seems India is in a hurry to establish theatre commands without having the concept clear. Not just the IAF, all stakeholders need to first assess their assets.
Standing up to America is usually not a personal risk for a leader in India. Any suggestions of foreign pressure unites India behind who they see as leading them in that fight.
COMMENTS